Jay Adams, a professional skateboarder attributed with elevating skateboarding to mainstream popularity, died on Thursday of a heart attack while vacationing in Mexico with his family.

Adams was known as a founding member of the Zephyr Skate Team, who operated in the Dogtown neighborhood of Los Angeles, a hotspot of empty pools that skateboarders took to in the 1970s. Adams struggled with run-ins with the law and substance abuse throughout his life, but had reportedly been clean for years when he passed away on Thursday.

Via the Associated Press:

But at the height of his fame in the early 1980s, Adams was convicted of felony assault, launching a string of prison stints over the next 24 years.

The member of the Skateboarding Hall of Fame, who had proudly been clean and sober for the past several years, blamed his troubles in part on the sport's early years, when seemingly any outrageous behavior was tolerated.

"We were wild and acting crazy and not being very positive role models," he told The New York Times shortly after being released from prison for the last time in 2008.

Adams was married with two children. He was on a surfing vacation with his wife and friends when he died, his manager reported on Friday.

Stacy Peralta, a filmmaker and former skateboarder who made a documentary in 2001 that chronicled the rise of the Z-Boys, told the AP, "He was like the original viral spore that created skateboarding. He was it."

[Image via AP]

Governor Margaret Wood Hassan of New Hampshire has declared a state of emergency after at least 41 reported overdoses of fake pot in the Manchester area. According to a statement issued by the governor, the "Bubblegum" flavor of "Smacked!", a synthetic cannabinoid has been linked to a spate of overdoses, and poses "a serious threat to public health, especially to young people."

"Smacked!" is a dubious substance, sold over the counter at gas stations and convenience stores, usually next to suspect boner pills and Five Hour energy drinks. These packets are loosely marketed as potpourri and are sprayed with a chemically engineered substance that is similar to THC. "Smacked!" is the only brand linked to the overdoses, but tests on brands "Crazy Monkey" and "Green Giant" have come up positive for controlled substances, as well.

While it may seem ludicrous that a state of emergency was declared over some idiot kids basically smoking the stuff that lives in the glass jar in your grandmother's bathroom, the substance can be deadly. On July 11, Connor Eckhardt of California took one hit off a joint rolled with a similar substance, and fell into a coma. He passed away six days later.

[Image via AP]

CNN reports that dockworkers at Tilbury Docks, a major London port, discovered 35 adults and children in a shipping container this morning. One man was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to police, several of the stowaways have "significant health problems," including severe dehydration and hypothermia. The BBC reports that these individuals are being treated at nearby hospitals.

At a press conference about the incident, Essex police Superintendent Trevor Rowe said that the death of the man is being treated as a homicide, and an investigation is underway. From the Independent:

He said: "All we know at the moment is that we believe them to come from the Indian subcontinent, but it is still early days.

"It is a homicide investigation from the police point of view at this time."

Rowe said the dockworkers were alerted to the shipping container after hearing "screaming and banging" coming from inside. CNN reports that the container arrived in Tilbury on a ship owned by P&O Ferries after a nine-hour trip from the Belgian port city Zeebrugge. P&O Ferries spokesperson Natalie Hardy spoke to CNN:

She said P&O Ferries does not inspect the contents of the containers it transports as a matter of company policy. Such checks, according to Hardy, are the responsibility of the UK Border Agency.

Police Superintendent Rowe said the 50 other containers on the ship will be thoroughly searched.

[image via BBC]

Three men have been hospitalized after being stabbed at Grand Central Terminal just after midnight Saturday morning.

According to authorities, an intoxicated man pulled a knife on the three men following a fight on the uptown No. 6 train, stabbing one in the arm, another in the chest, and the third in the stomach.

When 1010 WINS' Roger Stern asked fellow commuters their thoughts on the incident, some expressed fear, while others upheld New Yorkers' tradition of not being fazed by anything, even a man pulling a knife on a crowded subway platform.

"It's a city of 8 million people, you're always gonna have events like that," said Greg. "It just can't be avoided with that many people. I think the subways are safe and I think they run well."

The alleged perpetrator was taken to Bellevue for intoxication, and the victims were treated for their injuries. The man stabbed in the chest remains in critical condition.

[Image via Shutterstock]

Gene Simmons has issued an apology on Facebook after taking part in an interview during which he told those suffering from depression, "fuck you, then kill yourself." All better?

Simmons begins, "I want to make this statement about my views on depression for the record and to clarify my prior remarks." (His prior remarks that were, to be sure, both very clear and on the record.) He continues:

To the extent my comments reported by the media speak of depression, I was wrong and in the spur of the moment made remarks that in hindsight were made without regard for those who truly suffer the struggles of depression. I sincerely apologize to those who were offended by my comments. I recognize that depression is very serious and very sad when it happens to anyone, especially loved ones. I deeply support and am empathetic to anyone suffering from any disease, especially depression.

I have never sugarcoated my feelings regarding drug use and alcoholics. Somewhere along the line, my intention of speaking in very directly and perhaps politically incorrectly about drug use and alcoholics has been misconstrued as vile commentary on depression. Unkind statements about depression was certainly never my intention. Fully, you will know that and I do not intend to defend myself here and now, by listing the myriad charities and self-help organizations I am involved with. Rather, I simply want to be clear that my heart goes out to anyone suffering from depression and I deeply regret any offhand remarks in the heat of an interview that might have suggested otherwise.

OK.

As Stereogum points out, Simmons has yet to apologize for his numerous other recent Facebook-apology-worthy remarks.

[image via Getty, h/t Stereogum]

Gavin McInnes, the co-founder of Vice magazine and current CCO of Rooster, an ad agency he founded in 2010, has been asked to take an "indefinite leave of absence" from Rooster after publishing an article titled "Transphobia Is Perfectly Natural" on white supremacist publication Thought Catalog.

Adweek reports that the article, which is not worth reading, sparked an outcry encouraging clients of Rooster to stop associating with the company. In response, Rooster decided to remove McInnes from his position.

A representative for the company spoke with Adweek:

"Gavin's views are his own and do not represent those of the company or its members," said a Rooster representative. "We are extremely disappointed with his actions and have asked that he take a leave of absence while we determine the most appropriate course of action."

The original article, which was published on Tuesday, is now preceded by a disclaimer that allows readers to continue to the homepage as an alternative to McInnes's bigotry.

[Photo via Adweek]

A 43-year-old Venezuelan woman was apprehended at Madrid International Airport with 3.7 pounds of cocaine in her breast implants. Authorities noticed her suspicious behavior during a routine screening of passengers returning from Bogota, Colombia.

The drugs were discovered when she was frisked by female agents, who noticed "irregularities and deformities" in her breasts. Overcome with nerves and the great burden of smuggling $2.5 million dollars' worth of drugs in her boobs, the woman confessed, and was taken to a local hospital where the implants were removed.

Smuggling cocaine in breast implants is as easy as going from a B-cup to a voluptuous DD. According to New York City board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Matthew Schulman, you just remove the saline from the implants and replace it with mountains of cocaine. This method of smuggling illegal drugs is common, Schulman explains, only because of the reluctance of security personnel to really get in there when searching breasts and other private parts.

Surely, there are more risks than adjusting to your new breasts. He states:

"There's obvious risks with that because it was probably not done under sterile conditions, so there's risk of infection and also the body absorbing that cocaine, which could cause sudden death from a cocaine overdose," he said.

The woman was detained at the hospital for an alleged crime against public health.

[Image via Spanish National Police]

The Associated Press reports a woman from Cedar Park, Texas allegedly stole a $3.99 bottle of wine in order to get arrested and see her beloved, jailed boyfriend.

It's just like young Taylor Swift once sang, "Romeo, take me somewhere we can't be alone / I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is wait / You'll be the prince (of jail) and I'll be the princess (of jail) / It's a love story, baby just say 'yes,' or rather, don't say anything until a lawyer is present." From the AP:

Police say [Alicia] Walicke stole a bottle of wine from a gas station Wednesday. An arrest affidavit says police found the woman outside the business and drinking the wine. The affidavit says she told police that she wanted to see her boyfriend, who was arrested hours earlier, and told them wanted to go to jail.

Walicke was charged with misdemeanor theft and freed on a $5,000 bond on Friday.

According to the AP, police didn't identify the boyfriend or say if Walicke was able to see him while she was on the inside, but us love fools? Oh, we can dream.

[image via Williamson County Sheriff's Office, NYPost]

A teen in Louisville is being investigated after starting rumors of a "Purge" that was slated to take place Friday night. A flier for the purge, circulated on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook gained traction quickly. The nuanced and culturally-sensitive website Thought Catalog published a fictional account of what "happened" during the event, as well.

These posters were hung up all over Louisville #LouisvillePurge pic.twitter.com/NL58X0e9My

— Jeremy Daugherty (@JDOGdaugherty58) August 15, 2014

If you're unfamiliar with the plot of The Purge, it presents the case of an America in which crime is legal for 12 hours every year in an attempt to rid the population of illegal behavior. Concerned citizens of Louisville and the surrounding areas took to Facebook to voice their worries, and police who surely had better things to attend to spent Friday night fielding a variety of anonymous tips that turned out to be fake, according to WKYT.

Despite the fact that nothing happened on the night of the purported purge, local authorities are taking no chances and are increasing security at the state fair over the weekend to offset any potential mischief.

The teen, whose name has not been released, shared some of the thoughts behind this genuinely stupid idea with a local high school newspaper:

"I was sitting in my house and watching 'The Purge,' and I thought of the tweet and picture that started it. But didn't think it'd get that big from there. I didn't mean any harm by this at all. I love my city."

According to WAVE, the police have not pressed charges.

[Image via WAVE]

Kenyan officials announced that they'll be closing the country's borders to travelers from countries that have been affected by Ebola, as a means for preventing the spread of the disease.

Travelers hoping to enter Kenya from Liberia, Guinea, or Sierra Leone will now be barred entry. BBC News reports that Kenyan Airways will halt flights going to Guinea and Sierra Leone when the ban begins this Wednesday, though health workers and Kenyan nationals flying from these countries will be allowed in.

Via the BBC:

Announcing the government's decision, Kenyan Health Minister James Macharia said it was "in the interest of public health".

He warned that Kenyans and health workers who had returned from the three west African states would face "strict checks" and would be quarantined if necessary.

On Friday, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the outbreak would take at least six months to bring under control.

According to reports on this Ebola outbreak by the World Health Organization, "the death toll rose to 1,145 after the WHO said 76 new deaths had been reported in the two days to 13 August. There have been 2,127 cases reported in total."

[Image via AP]

Boko Haram kidnapped 97 men and boys and killed 28 earlier this week in a raid in northeast Nigeria. According to residents, the extremist terror group raided a farming and fishing village on the banks of Lake Chad on Monday.

News of the raid and kidnapping reached media outlets days after the initial attack due to communication issues and lack of cell phone towers, destroyed in previous attacks.

Witnesses told Reuters that six older men were killed as part of the raid, which occurred last Sunday in Doron Baga.

From eyewitness Halima Adamu, who arrived in the city of Maiduguri after fleeing the village:

"They were shouting 'Allah Akbar' (God is greatest), shooting sporadically. There was confusion everywhere. They started parking our men and boys into their vehicles, threatening to shoot whoever disobey them. Everybody was scared."

According to an unnamed security source, the military is aware of the attack and is still investigating the details. Boko Haram is responsible for the kidnapping of over 200 girls in late April, with many still missing.

[Image via AP]

In a press conference today, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon announced that he signed an order declaring a state of emergency and implementing a curfew in Ferguson.

The Associated Press reports Nixon acknowledged that many of the protesters in Ferguson were making themselves heard peacefully, but that "the state would not allow a handful of looters to endanger the community." The curfew will be in effect from midnight until 5 a.m.

From the AP:

"We must first have and maintain peace. This is a test. The eyes of the world are watching," Nixon said. "We cannot allow the ill will of the few to undermine the good will of the many."

Captain Ronald Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol also spoke at the press conference and, according to the Huffington Post, said that trucks and tear gas would not be used to enforce the curfew. From the Huffington Post:

He acknowledged that tear gas had been used against protesters early Saturday morning, but said he did not order officers to take that action.

Johnson reportedly told the crowd, who interrupted him repeatedly with objections to the curfew and calls for justice, that residents would be given "ample opportunity to observe the curfew," saying, "You saw people sitting in the street and they had the chance to get up. And that's how it's going to continue."

Nixon also said the U.S. Department of Justice is enhancing its investigation into the shooting. From the AP:

Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, who is in charge of security in Ferguson, said there were 40 FBI agents going door-to-door talking to people who might have seen or have information about the shooting.

[Image via AP]

One person has been critically injured and seven people have been arrested in Ferguson following violent protests sparked by the midnight curfew.

According to Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson, the protestors were not the reason for escalated police presence and reaction. The AP reports that a group of people breaking into a nearby barbecue restaurant and a man who flaunted a handgun in the middle of the street caused the situation to escalate quickly.

Just after the midnight curfew, protestors clashed with police in riot gear, shouting "We are Mike Brown! We have the right to assemble peacefully!" according to the New York Times. Seven were arrested and charged with "failure to disperse."

In an attempt to reach the shooting victim, who was shot near the barbecue restaurant, police deployed tear gas and smoke canisters. The shooting victim, who was taken to the hospital by bystanders, is in critical condition, but was not shot by the police.

Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson addressed the night's events at a news conference early Sunday morning, telling press, "I was disappointed in the actions of tonight."

[Image via AP]

While making a statement in Austin on Saturday, Texas governor Rick Perry spoke out against his legal issues, having been indicted Friday on two charges of abuse of power. Perry, who according to reports appeared defiant, called the indictment "outrageous."

The Associated Press reports that Perry announced in his statement that he fully intends to complete his final term in January.

Via the AP:

"We don't settle political differences with indictments in this country," Perry said. "It is outrageous that someone would use political theatrics to rip away at the very fabric of our state's constitution."

Perry was indicted by a Travis County grand jury on Friday for following through on a plan to veto funds to a Democrat district attorney, Rosemary Lehmberg, who refused to resign after a drunk-driving incident. The indictment alleges that Perry abused his power as a way to leverage a resignation out of Lehmberg.

Perry claims he was transparent on his decision:

"The details of my decision-making were very clear. I said early on that I was going to clearly veto those dollars as long as they had someone in that office who I had lost confidence in," Perry said. "And I had lost confidence."

In his statement, Perry reportedly reacted with confidence and said that the indictment was a "farce of prosecution" and there would be accountability for those responsible. According to KXAN, if Perry is found guilty on the charges, he could face up to 109 years in prison.

[Image via AP]

Fifteen people are missing following a boat capsizing in Indonesia. The boat sank while traveling between Lombok and the Komodo Islands, around 7p.m. local time on Sunday.

According to Budiawn, the head of the search and rescue agency in Mataram, the boat was carrying 20 foreign tourists and five Indonesian nationals. The rescued included citizens from New Zealand, Spain, Britain, and France.

The BBC reports that Suryaman, another Indonesian official, stated, "The incident took place…when the boat hit a reef and sank." He added that "Fishermen managed to rescue five of them alive later at night on Saturday, and five other foreigners were rescued by a sailing boat."

A search for the missing passengers is currently underway.

[Image via Google Maps]

As many as 29 potentially Ebola-infected patients fled a quarantine center in Monrovia overnight after it was raided by armed men.

The Guardian reports that George Williams, the head of the Health Workers Association of Liberia, said the clinic housed 29 patients who "were receiving preliminary treatment before being taken to hospital." Rebecca Wesseh, whose report of the attack was confirmed by Williams, said, "They broke down the door and looted the place. The patients have all gone."

It is not clear at this time how many patients are missing.

The AP reports that the raid was led by residents angry that Ebola patients were brought to the holding center in West Point from other parts of Monrovia. From the AP:

West Point residents went on a "looting spree," stealing items from the clinic that were likely infected, said a senior police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the press. The residents took mattresses, sheets and blankets that had bloodstains, which could spread the infection.

"All between the houses you could see people fleeing with items looted from the patients," the official said, adding that he now feared "the whole of West Point will be infected."

The AP notes that despite rumors that West Point will be put under quarantine, assistant health minister Nyenswah said, "West Point is not yet quarantined as being reported."

The World Health Organization reports that Ebola has killed 1,145 people in West Africa, including 413 in Liberia.

[image via AP]

President Barack Obama is currently taking his yearly sojourn in Martha's Vineyard, but has announced he will be returning to Washington Sunday evening to have meetings with Vice President Joe Biden and other advisers.

The nature of Obama's meetings has not been revealed. The AP reports that the White House has been "cagey about why the president needs to be back in Washington for those discussions."

The return to Washington is reportedly in response to critiques that the president is on vacation in the midst of crucial domestic and international conflicts.

Via the AP:

Yet those crises turned the first week of Obama's vacation into a working holiday. He made on-camera statements on U.S. military action in Iraq and the clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. He called foreign leaders to discuss the tensions between Ukraine and Russia, as well as between Israel and Hamas.

"I think it's fair to say there are, of course, ongoing complicated situations in the world, and that's why you've seen the president stay engaged," White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.

Obama will return to the Vineyard on Tuesday and stay for the rest of the week, White House officials say.

[Image via AP]

From Foxtrot Alpha: The thing about Scud missiles is that they're not a precision weapon. Their accuracy is measured in the thousands of feet. So just by firing it at civilians, you show you don't really care where it lands. And in a war with more than 170,000 dead already, that's not surprising.

According to a statement made by Justice Department Spokesman Brian Fallon, Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered the Department of Justice to perform a second autopsy on Michael Brown, due to the "extraordinary circumstances" of the case.

The latest from #DOJ on the #MikeBrown probe #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/pc5uNVgm7e

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 17, 2014

This news comes on the heels of a week of protests, activism, and a civil-rights investigation into the shooting of Brown, who was killed by local police in Ferguson, Missouri last week.

According CBS affiliate KMOX, funeral arrangements for Brown are on hold until a second autopsy can be performed. Brown family attorney Ben Crump believes that the second autopsy, overseen by the Department of Justice, will ensure objectivity.

Crump stated that the family hopes to hold Brown's funeral by the weekend of August 23.

[image via AP]

Bourbon: no longer the drink of choice for just wild west gunslingers and Southern gentlemen. According to a report in the Associated Press, bourbon is the current de rigueur drink for Americans (and drinkers abroad), causing a boom in sales for bourbon distilleries in the billions of dollars a year.

What are we doing with all this bourbon? Drinking the fuck out of it, of course. According to the AP and a report in Fortune in February, bourbon and Tennessee whiskey are flying off the shelves like it's the 1970s again, the last time bourbon was at this level of popularity.

Last year, Kentucky distilleries filled 1.2 million barrels of bourbon — the most since 1970, according to the Kentucky Distillers' Association. Inventory has topped 5 million barrels for the first time since 1977, the group said.

Production has surged by more than 150 percent in the past 15 years in Kentucky — home to 95 percent of the world's bourbon production.

As a means to fulfill the demand, distilleries are taking to overproducing their stores so that they can be prepared to sell through the demand years later. Will this work? Hm, last time it didn't!

The last time the industry spiked production in the 1970s, distillers ended up with a glut when demand went in a tailspin.

Back then, the industry had grown stale and many consumers switched allegiance to vodka, Scotch and other spirits.

"You had the same old brands, you were pretty much on autopilot," Morris said.

But the producers know how to grab OkCupid-using, mason jar-owning millenials: through small batch premium production and cool twists on old standards. This may be the reason for high sales last year: the bourbon and Tennessee whiskey industries reached a whopping $2.4 billion. Additional interest from foreign markets like China appear to contribute to bourbon's growth.

Bill Samuels Jr., retired top executive at Maker's Mark told the AP, "It doesn't feel like a fad. It feels like a legitimate trend," which sounds like the beautiful slurred philosophizing of someone who has perhaps drank too much bourbon.

[Image via AP]